Best Gift Ever
by Hendelnor
Summary: ROLO - The Holidays bring a lot of surprises for some of the mansion's residents. ***DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters written about in this story. They are owned by Marvel.***


**Happy Holidays and best wishes for the upcoming New Year!**

Christmastide, the season of joy, peace, love and giving, was in full swing. Ororo had outdone herself this year, as the mansion's rooms, halls and walls were literally decked out in the finest Christmas decorations. Different types of mistletoe were hung in every doorway, garland, tinsel, wreaths, decorative lights, jingle bells and various ornaments were strategically placed all over the mansion. And the crème de la crème of the festivities, the beautiful eight foot Scotch pine tree standing tall and proud in the recreation room, with many sized and shaped boxes covered in various decorative paper underneath.

It was one of her favorite holidays, but right now, Jean was feeling anything but festive. She and Scott were very much still in their honeymoon phase, having tied the knot five months ago, their enemies had all either disappeared or were taking a break from wreaking havoc and the school was thriving. Everything for the residents of Xavier's School for the Gifted was going well. So where did it all go wrong or started to go wrong? One word, or rather one person. Logan. After her wedding to Scott, he had virtually disappeared to God knows where. They had all expected him to go on a rampage after her engagement to Scott was announced, but he had given them the shock of their lives by wishing them the best. After years of chasing her and professing his undying love for her, the Wolverine had simply nodded his head and wished them the best in a rough grumble.

No one knew what to expect from the Canadian after that and for a while, the mansion's residents seemed to be walking on eggshells and were mindful of what they said around the surly man. But, again, he had completely threw them for a loop in keeping calm and taking it all in stride. When he had taken a seat on one of the many chairs in the gazebo that was decorated for the wedding ceremony, one could have heard the proverbial pin drop, as he had once again rendered them in a state of disbelief all decked out in a navy blue suit, complete with a tie, polished loafers on his feet, a much needed haircut and neatly trimmed side burns. The man could have definitely landed on Vogue's best dressed list that day, so sexy and unbelievably handsome he was.

When he remained for the reception and held at length conversations with Charles, Beast and Gambit and even danced with Rogue and Ororo, everyone wondered and couldn't help speculating at what could have happened to the Wolverine they knew because the man before them had seemingly gone through a complete transformation. That night, before she and Scott left for their honeymoon, she was informed by Ororo that Logan was leaving the team on a brief sojourn. The conflicting emotions that gripped her then were stunning to her and instead of dealing with them, she decided to push them to the further parts of her powerful mind, refusing to put a pall on her happiness.

When they returned from Hawaii, Logan was still nowhere to be found in New York. She attempted to find out where he had journeyed too, but if anyone knew, they weren't divulging. Jean knew that both the Professor and Rogue of course knew where Logan was and she strongly suspected that Ororo knew as well. However, the weather witch strongly kept her knowledge, if any, closely to her generous bosom. As the weeks ticked by, she felt more confident in her suspicions about Ororo knowing for sure where Logan was.

The unlikely cell phone conversations the ebony beauty seemed to become more and more engrossed in was Jean's first clue as to Ororo's knowledge. Another sign was on one Sunday morning, unbeknown to Ororo, Jean had caught her unlocking the door to the Wolverine's room. Now she knew Logan, knew the man was notoriously private and knew that one could not invade his space unless a personal invitation was given from the man himself. The third and possibly most prominent clue was when a package arrived, addressed to Ororo. She had quickly retrieved her package and disappeared to her secluded loft. That behavior was so unlike the Goddess and Jean made it her personal mission to keep a closer eye on the woman.

A week before Logan returned, Ororo was caught many times smiling and day dreaming. Again, behavior unlike her. When he returned, it was without much fanfare. The man just simply walked into the breakfast room, rumbled a 'good morning' and went about his day as if he didn't left for a long stretch of time. Jean kept a close eye on Ororo all the while during Logan's antics, but couldn't quite put her finger on what was different about her. They both carried on with their lives, giving the impression that nothing was afoot.

If a person didn't know Ororo or Logan well enough, he or she would have thought that the weather witch was her usual stoic self and the feral was his usual ornery self. But Jean knew them both and without a doubt, she knew that there was something different about them. She resolved to keep a closer eye on the pair from then on. The next three months proved very enlightening to Jean and she could no longer deny that Ororo and Logan had grown closer to each other. But how much closer, Jean couldn't tell and she was not about to use her mutant abilities to find out. Were they lovers? Or were they just such great friends?

As she deliberated on the status of the feral and the Goddess' relationship, those feelings that she had pushed back on her wedding day reared their ugly heads. Jean was forced to contemplate on what her true feelings for Logan were. When Logan began his persistent pursuit of her, she relished and welcomed his advances. Yes, she loved Scott. Their fearless leader has always been the love of her life, but there was something about Logan that she couldn't deny. His focus in lavishing her with the attention he felt she was worthy of took her to an entire new level of feelings and desires. Sure, there were numerous times that she was tempted to see where those feelings and desires would lead, but her love for Scott always won out.

Something else also prevented her from taking things further with the Wolverine. Jean had, on a few occasions, felt Ororo's underlying interest in the rough and tumble man. Now, if Ororo held an interest in a man, especially after the debacle named Forge, Jean knew that she definitely couldn't go any further than flirtation with Logan. Her sister deserved all the happiness in the world, and if she desired Logan, who was Jean to stand in her way of that? But Ororo had always kept her true feelings bottled up inside and she knew that the weather witch would more than likely go on as she had after Forge, while desiring Logan from afar. Now, it would be a whole different ballgame if Logan showed Ororo a hint of his own interest in her. And from what she was now seeing and suspecting, yeah, they were well into a few innings in this ballgame.

Ororo's happiness, much like her own, meant the world to her. And if this was what it took to finally let go of any remnants of what she ever felt for Logan, then she would do it. But first, she had to put her curiosity to rest and the only way to do that was to ask the subject some tough questions and be truthful.

Jean found the wind rider in all her stunning glory, putting the finishing touches on the decorations in the recreational room for the night's Christmas Eve festivities. She was perched on what was more than likely an air bubble she had manipulated, pinning some fake garland on the wall, just above the room's bay window. She was humming to the tune of a Christmas carol, that sound much like Joy To The World. Jean smiled at the radiance emanating from Ororo.

"You know, I've always wondered how an African priestess could be so caught up in the Christmas spirit," Jean said in way of announcing her presence.

Ororo looked down from her perch and offered a bright smile. "I have always laughed at the irony of that, my dear sister. How are you today?"

"I'm doing well. Finally finished wrapping all my gifts." Jean replied, as she turned to close the door then walk over the sit on one of the couch closest to where Ororo was still hanging the decorations. "I don't have to ask you how you're doing. You are shining brighter than the sun right now."

Jean couldn't see the secretive smile splayed across Ororo's face as she was turned away from the redhead. "I have a lot to be grateful for this season."

Jean's eyebrows lifted, her curiosity piqued further. "We all do, dear." She took a deep breath, remembering why she had sought the weather witch out in the first place. It was best to get this over and done with. "I was hoping you and I could talk, 'Ro."

The seriousness of her tone instantly put Ororo on alert. She finished hanging the last piece of garland, then gracefully floated down to land next to Jean. "Is everything alright Jean?" She whispered, taking hold of her hand. "Is it Scott? You two are not having any problems are you?"

Jean frowned. "What?! No! No! Scott and I are doing great." She sighed heavily. "It's just that you and I haven't had girl time in a long while, 'Ro. And I kind of missed that."

Ororo smiled softly. "I know and I have missed it as well. But we have both been busy for a while now."

"What's kept you busy wind rider?" Jean asked slyly. "Or better yet, should I be asking who's been keeping you busy?" She wiggled her eye brows up and down suggestively.

Ororo glanced away shyly and Jean knew she was on to something. "Oh my gosh! 'Ro! You're seeing someone! No wonder you've been glowing lately." Jean hugged her tight. "I want details."

'Ro knew Jean's penchant for gossip and wondered if the she was being sincere in her inquiry or was just being nosy. She had no way of knowing the telepath's true intentions for seeking her out of the blue, so she opted for the safer route…keep her private affairs to herself.

She ensured her mental shields were up and schooled her features into her staple mask of impassiveness. "What makes you say or think that Jean?"

Jean's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she peered at her sister. It was so damn hard to read her at this instant. "Am I wrong?" She tried turning the tables to see if 'Ro would bite. "Because a woman only glows the way you have been when she's getting turned out in bed or when she has a new man."

Ororo chuckled richly, but a hint of nervousness was there. Shaking her head, she stood, grabbing some tinsel. The further she was away from Jean, the better. "Turned out? I see you have been listening too much to Jubilee."

Jean knew exactly what Ororo was doing, trying to stare the conversation away from herself. She knew Ororo valued her privacy very much and if she didn't want to share that part of her life, then she would respect that. "Alright, 'Ro. I know a conversation change when I hear one." She stood and began walking towards the open door where Ororo was floating in the air hanging the fake ice decoration. "But know that if you do have someone new in your life, then I'm very happy for you. You deserve to have lots of sweaty, steamy sex in your life."

Ororo stared down at Jean in shock, effectively losing her concentration. She would have fell to the floor in an undignified heap if it wasn't for strong arms and a solid bulk catching her. "Careful there, darlin'."

Ororo immediately relaxed, knowing that she was safe. She couldn't help but get lost in the deep set gray eyes that stared down at her. "Ya ok, 'Ro?"

She hadn't quite regain her power of speech, so she simply settled for nodding her head. Logan was slow to bring her back to standing and release her. She felt empty and unsettled when he did.

The few seconds between him catching her and releasing her felt like an eternity for Logan. He wanted to continue holding her and getting lost in her baby blues, but Red's presence ruined the moment. And after hearing the questions she posed to 'Ro earlier, Logan knew she was more than likely fishing for information about them. His senses alerted him to Jean being suspicious of him and 'Ro a while back, but he kept up the charade just as 'Ro did out of their desire for privacy and to enjoy what they had together without the world intruding.

Logan couldn't help but laugh inwardly. They had all thought that since he had this everlasting obsessive love for Jean that he would have run amok when he found out about her and Scott's engagement. He knew he had thrown them for a loop when he simply wished them well and had showed up at the wedding and stayed for the reception. Both him and 'Ro had a good laugh over their bewildered expressions at the seemingly new Wolverine. Little did they know that he had moved on from Jean or whatever it was he thought he felt for her long before her engagement to the Boy Scout. It was quite easy to let Jean go and wish them well, when he knew that what he felt for her wasn't true in the first place. He knew what true requited love felt and look like because he had found it and more with Ororo.

What he had with his Goddess was his life, his salvation and he was not going to give it up for nothing or no one. To know that Ororo loved him back with an equal intensity was more than what he knew he deserved in his long life. So, yes, letting Jean go was probably one of the easiest things he had ever had to do. Yes, he did love her, but it was nothing compared to what he currently felt and would always feel for Ororo.

"How goes it, Red?" He rumbled without taking his eyes off of 'Ro.

Jean, who up until that point, had remained silently stunned as she watch what unfolded between the two mutants, replied, "I'm good, Logan." If she had any doubts before about the two of them, she didn't anymore. What she had witnessed that silently transpired between them more than appeased her curiosity about their relationship. "Are you sticking around for the festivities tonight? 'Ro here has been hard at work setting up."

Logan eyes darkened at the mentioned of his beloved's name. "Ya know me and gatherings, Red. But I can think of a reason ta make an appearance."

I bet you could, Jean mused silently. As her eyes continue to dart back and forth between the couple, a sudden wave of passionate emotions bombarded her and Jean felt Logan's and Ororo's connection and love open up, flooding the room. It was like a melding, similar to her and Scott and she knew without a hint of a doubt, her sister would want for nothing with this man. With that, she felt whatever lingering feelings she had for Logan fade away and she closed her eyes and sighed in great relief. Knowing that her presence was an unwanted intrusion on the couple, Jean bid them both good bye and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Logan and Ororo were in each other's arms in a flash, lips meeting and fusing, soft curves pressing up against hard planes, hands touching and feeling their way around each other.

"Hello my love," 'Ro murmured huskily when he released her lips.

"Hey darlin'."

She grabbed his hand and led him away from the door. She turned to him where they stood by the bay window. "I think Jean knows."

Logan reached up and brushed a few tendrils of hair that had escaped from her bun behind her ear. "I suspect she does. But do ya care if she or anyone else knows?"

"Of course not, dear heart."

"Good, cause I don't care either." He turned her around, so her back was plastered to his chest and his arms went around her waist.

Logan pulled her closer against him and leaned down to place a kiss on the side of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent as he did. He grinned.

"Where did you disappear to after breakfast?" She asked, skimming her fingers over his hands joined at her waist.

"Here and there."

Ororo smiled, knowing that he was more than likely at the mall he hated so much to complete his shopping. "For your general wellbeing, I hope here and there was where you brought my awesome present."

Logan laughed. "Nah. I got yer present a while ago."

"Smart man," she chuckled. They stood together enjoying their peaceful interlude, knowing that in a few hours the place would be pandemonium.

"'Ro?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She clutched his hands, removing them from around her waist and placing them over the small yet pronounced bump. She leaned her head back to rest on the solid bulk of his chest. The changes in her body, his enhanced senses and Hank's expertise had confirmed the miracle they were given. A gift both had been secretly yearning for most of their lives. "Merry Christmas, my love."

The Wolverine howled gleefully inside. The man held his wife tighter. "Best gift ever."


End file.
